Food crisis gripping Birmingham as pregnant women go days without a meal

A FAMILY support service has been forced to set up a food bank for pregnant women, who are going days without a meal in Birmingham.

Najma Kazmi with her baby Nooreemaan and outreach worker Sophia Sahrif at the Gateway food bank in Edgbaston

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A FAMILY support service has been forced to set up a food bank for pregnant women, who are going days without a meal in Birmingham.

Gateway Family Services, based in Edgbaston, said so many mums-to-be were going hungry that the service had become essential.

And staff said donations are being snapped up as soon as they arrive.

In recent months more established food banks in Birmingham have been inundated with appeals for help, as unemployment and changes to the benefits system leave families struggling to put meals on the table.

Lynette Oyaide, pregnancy outreach co-ordinator at Gateway Family Services, said some pregnant women were going a week without food because they were unable to find work or access benefits.

Samira Sulleysalifu, aged 20, originally from Ghana but now living in Birmingham, had benefitted from the food bank before giving birth to her daughter.

The former health and social care student said: “Gateway is very important, without them I don’t know what I would have done.

“I’m really scared social services will come and take my baby away because they’ll think I can’t take care of her.

‘‘I want to work and care for my child and continue my education.”

Najma Kazmi, aged 22, from Sparkhill, moved to the UK a year ago as a student.

But when she fell pregnant and her husband left her she could not afford food and had no access to benefits.

She said: “During my pregnancy I was working in a shop and carrying on my studies as well, but it was a real struggle.

“The support workers here gave me food packages and clothes for my baby.

‘‘I don’t know where I would have ended up.”

She added: “It’s still difficult, I’ve been to a family support worker but any job I take I would need child care which they can’t offer and because I’m on a student visa I can’t apply for any benefits.”

Ms Oyaide said Gateway had been forced to set up a foodbank to ensure mums-to-be had enough food.

She said: “As soon as the food comes in it goes out, we can’t get enough for the demand. A lot of people are struggling.

“If pregnant women aren’t eating properly it can cause all sorts of problems.”